With football just a distant memory at the moment, there are, admittedly, much bigger things to worry about in the current climate.
Like everyone across the country, Jordan Williams is abiding by government guidelines as he does his part to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. It is a sacrifice that means he is unable to see his parents and other members of his family, but one he acknowledges is essential as the world looks to get back on its axis.
“It’s tough being away from my mum and dad, but you’ve got to bide your time; it’s for health benefits,” he began. “It’s not my own choice, but I’ve got to do it.”
He and his fellow teammates have been set specific training regimes by the club’s sport science and coaching department to ensure they keep on top of their fitness to the best of their abilities.
Each programme is tailor-made for every individual and the players are able to log their progress by inputting exercise data online.
“I’ve got the Strava app to do my runs and we upload it there so Luke can see,” continued Williams. “But I’ve also been doing some upper body work and legs at my girlfriend’s house – she’s got kind of a mini gym, so that’s helped.
“I’ve had to do some high speed work to get up and down the wing and just generally trying to maintain my overall fitness with some long runs. But strength work is just trying to keep fit with squats and press-ups really.
“It was tough to start with but, once you get used to it and get into your own rhythm and look after yourself, it gets a lot easier. But I think, as time keeps passing, it’ll get harder again but you need to keep motivating yourself. There’s Zoom sessions for the team that are keeping the lads going and keeping us close together still.”
Ordinarily, the players are provided with nutritious meals by the club – food that will help to release energy and, of course, sustain a healthy diet.
While away from Oakwell, as well as maintaining his fitness levels, Williams is continuing to consume the right foods…with a bit of help.
“I’m still eating well,” confirmed the Reds’ full-back. “My girlfriend is helping me out with the cooking because I sometimes can’t be bothered, but she’s good. We have fajitas, chicken stir fries, fish, stew – all sorts to be fair.”
We are all missing football and our lives have been turned upside down in the space of a few weeks.
There is, unfortunately, no timescale as to when play will resume and Williams admits it is a tough situation for everyone associated with the club.
“It’s demoralising,” said the 20-year-old. “It’s sad really because you don’t know when you’re going to get back to doing what you love. It’s something we do every day and we can’t even do it now, so it’s tough, but it’s the right idea and we need to abide by the rules.
“It’s tough times for the fans; it’s tough for everyone. But we’ve got to stick together and hopefully this will blow over in a couple of months’ time and we can get back out there and put some performances on to put smiles back on their faces. All I can say is keep digging away and stay safe because health is more important.”
